Peer-Support Training for Nonliterate and Semiliterate Female Ex- Combatants: Experience in Burundi
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction Volume 16 Issue 2 The Journal of ERW and Mine Action Article 23 July 2012 Peer-support Training for Nonliterate and Semiliterate Female Ex- combatants: Experience in Burundi Cameron Macauley Center for International Stabilization and Recovery at JMU (CISR) Monica Onyango Boston University School of Public Health Eric Niragira CEDAC Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cisr-journal Part of the Other Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons, and the Peace and Conflict Studies Commons Recommended Citation Macauley, Cameron; Onyango, Monica; and Niragira, Eric (2012) "Peer-support Training for Nonliterate and Semiliterate Female Ex-combatants: Experience in Burundi," The Journal of ERW and Mine Action : Vol. 16 : Iss. 2 , Article 23. Available at: https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cisr-journal/vol16/iss2/23 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Center for International Stabilization and Recovery at JMU Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction by an authorized editor of JMU Scholarly Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Macauley et al.: Peer-support Training for Nonliterate and Semiliterate Female Ex-combatants: Experience in Burundi In some cases, there was a grain of truth to this: As a re- Peer-support Training for sult of years of abuse, Burundian women in military service had acquired survival skills to avoid exploitation. Some had Nonliterate and Semiliterate advanced in rank by challenging stereotypes and excelling in traditionally male-oriented activities, such as handling weap- Female Ex-combatants in Burundi ons, leading troops into battle, nighttime reconnaissance and interrogating prisoners.22 These women were outspoken, In September 2011, 25 female veterans of Burundi’s civil war were trained to become peer-support fearless and protective of their more vulnerable colleagues.22 workers. The five-day training, funded under a grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation and con- However, they contradicted traditional norms of the subservi- ducted by James Madison University’s Center for International Stabilization and Recovery, was the ent and docile wife that Burundian men find attractive. first of its kind to offer peer-counseling skills to nonliterate and semiliterate women.1 War-related Trauma Research suggests that women exposed to combat are by Cameron Macauley [ CISR ], Monica Onyango [ Boston University School of Public Health ] and Eric Niragira [ CEDAC ] more likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder than men.23,24 For women, the social transformation into soldiers is more profound and potentially more disturbing. Men feel etween 1961—when Burundi declared its indepen- As in much of traditional Africa, Burundian women are al- more comfortable in the role of warrior and defender in which dence from Belgium—and early 2005, violence in ready on an unequal footing with men, enrolling less fre- they are required to kill or maim an enemy. For women, the B Burundi killed an estimated 500,000 people and quently in school and receiving fewer years of education. Participants learn about trust in an exercise in which blind- traditional role of protector and caregiver is brutally violated folded participants are guided by partners. left the country in a chronic state of political instability. Although French is an official language in Burundi, few during military service.25 For female ex-combatants who were Following the assassination of President Melchior Ndadaye in Burundians are proficient in French, and the literacy statistics comrades, and even those who had distinguished themselves raped, the trust and self-confidence necessary to interact nor- 1993, ethnic conflict between Hutus and Tutsis, and attempts above refer mainly to literacy in Kirundi, a language in which in battle garnered little respect and few privileges.15 mally with men in their community is particularly difficult to overthrow the government, resulted in brutal military re- few publications are available. In addition, literacy among Demobilization created a dilemma for the Burundian to regain. prisals that forced many Burundians to take up arms in self- women is significantly higher in urban communities, where- Government, as the status of female veterans remained doubt- defense. Paramilitary organizations conscripted men, women as the percentage of literate women is close to zero in some ful.16 Many observers questioned whether women were ever and children at gunpoint to provide slave labor and fight on rural communities. Furthermore, opportunities for adult combatants, and female claims for the same rights as male ex- the front lines.2 women in Burundi to learn how to read and write are sparse, combatants were routinely denied by the Programme National By 2005, war had left Burundi without infrastructure and motivation to seek educational opportunities is low for de Démobilisation, Réinsertion et Réintégration (National or industry, and had reduced already low indices of health women who devote long days to farming, working and raising Demobilization, Reinsertion and Reintegration Program).17 and education. At the height of Burundi’s civil conflict, lit- children. Alternatively, male literacy in Burundi is typically Initially, women were only eligible for assistance if they were eracy among women ages 15 and above fell from 52.2 per- about 10 to 15 percent higher than that of women.10 married to male soldiers, and only then if their husbands had cent in 2000 to 44 percent in 2002. Although literacy among fought on the government’s side.18 Opportunities for land, women had increased to 60.9 percent by 2009 (with an en- Female Veterans in Burundi housing, vocational training and health care slowly opened couraging leap to 76 percent among girls ages 15 to 24), the For 13 years, during the darkest period of the war, un- up to women when the numbers of female ex-combatants be- United Nations Development Programme’s 2009 Human scrupulous warlords on both sides forced adolescents and came apparent. Regardless, assistance was difficult to obtain Development Report ranked Burundi 174 out of 177 nations.3 children into military service in order to swell their fighting for these female veterans’ children.19 Consequently, as many forces with obedient and resilient youths.11 In addition, many as 85 percent of women “self-demobilized,”15 meaning they Year Adult Women 15-24 years only thousands of teens willingly joined paramilitary units devot- did not bother trying to register as ex-combatants. Of the es- 5 2000 52.2% ed to defending Tutsi communities from wholesale genocidal timated 55,000 ex-combatants believed to live in Burundi, 2001 NO DATA slaughter.12 Many teachers fled, and 29 percent of Burundi’s 30,916 were officially demobilized as of April 2010, and of 2002 44%6 schools were destroyed, leaving education in Burundi severe- these, only 795 were female.20 ly affected for nearly a decade.13 Many female ex-combatants tried to return to their com- 2003 - 2007 NO DATA Burundian women involved in military service were often munities after demobilization, only to confront a variety of 7 2008 59.9% little more than slaves.14 Conditions were abysmal for those obstacles. Whereas male counterparts received praise and re- 75%8 assigned to cook, wash clothes and act as “bush wives” for spect, female veterans were frequently stigmatized as “kill- 2009 60.9%9 76%6 male soldiers. Life was only marginally better for women who ers,” and single mothers with children were accused of received combat training and went into battle. Women suf- promiscuity.17 When wanting to remarry, these women found Table 1. Female literacy rate in Burundi.4 A participant gives a presentation on what it means to be a All graphics courtesy of CISR/Cameron Macauley. fered from hunger and sexual abuse at the whim of their male that men believed they would be difficult to control.21 veteran and a mother. Published by JMU Scholarly Commons, 2012 1 52 notes from the field | the journal of ERW and mine action | summer 2012 | 16.2 16.2 | summer 2012 | the journal of ERW and mine action | notes from the field 53 Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction, Vol. 16, Iss. 2 [2012], Art. 23 Because of their similar experience, banded together to form similar groups level among women living in the com- “Survivor Story,” which is the survivor’s depicting distrust, hatred, fear, grief female ex-combatants wanted to stay for advocacy and income generation, munes; this was a problem since all contemplation and analysis of his or her and rage with great feeling, yet they also together after demobilization. Having and now some 60 such associations ex- of Survivor Corps’ training materials traumatic memories.30 convincingly portrayed empathy, con- spent years surviving in the bush and ist in Burundi with more than 1,200 were developed for literate peer-sup- Recalled with horror, sorrow and cern and understanding. witnessing the same violent atrocities, members.28,29 Niragira realized that re- port workers. In 2011, CISR proposed bitterness, the “Survival Story” rep- these women found that their military integration was especially difficult for another training event for CEDAC, resents how survivors understand the The Future of Peer Support friends were often closer to them than women, and he obtained funding to specifically designed for nonliterate or events and actions forming their trau- in Burundi family. No one can understand the an- establish a commune in which female semiliterate women. matic experience. Decades of research This workshop was unique: It was guish and hardship of such a life better ex-combatants could live, raise their support the theory that survivors who designed to teach counseling skills to than those who have also experienced children together and participate as a The 2011 Peer-support Participants learn how to help others relinquish painful memories by exhal- tell their story to a sympathetic listen- participants who have had little or no it.26 Rejected by their parents, husbands group in income-generating activities.